What Hallmark's Jen Lilley Didn't Like About Filming Paris, Wine & Romance
Jen Lilley has starred in over ten Hallmark movies since 2017, appearing in feel-good flicks like "Harvest Love," "Mingle All the Way," and "Winter Love Story." While the star no longer works for the channel, being one of several Hallmark stars to leave the network for Great American Country, many of her past romcoms are still worth remembering. That includes "Paris, Wine & Romance," a film that the actor admits had its downsides while shooting.
"Paris, Wine & Romance," which premiered in 2019, is particularly noteworthy for its unique locations, as beautiful European sights serve as the backdrop for the romance flick. In the movie, Lilley plays Isabella, an Oregon winery owner who travels to France to enter a high-brow wine competition. While its beautiful locale is one of the movie's draws, the foreign location also proved to be a challenge for the then-pregnant actor.
Lilley shared in an interview that missing out on the fantastic European cuisine was her least favorite part of filming "Paris, Wine & Romance." Not to mention, that her emerging baby bump created some unique obstacles for the filming team.
The Hallmark star had to make sure she was eating safe foods
Jen Lilley announced that she was pregnant with her first daughter in late March of 2019, already being a foster mom to two young boys. During the early part of her pregnancy, she traveled with her Hallmark castmates to film "Paris, Wine & Romance" in Europe, primarily shooting in Bulgaria but also in France.
Newly pregnant, Lilley had to ensure that everything she was eating was baby-safe, which limited some of her European options while filming. "It was hard because we filmed the movie in Bulgaria, so finding things in Bulgaria that I could eat was a little difficult," she shared with IBT. "They have all these delicious cheeses and all these things that you just can't [have] because you don't know if they're pasteurized or not. So, that was tricky."
Besides the savory foods, we can imagine that Lilley missed out on some amazing wines while filming her wine-centered romcom. The "USS Christmas" actor added, "I would love to go back there when I'm not pregnant."
Jen Lilley also talked about filming with a baby bump
Besides missing out on some delectable European cuisine while filming "Paris, Wine & Romance," Jen Lilley also had to work with her Hallmark team to navigate the complexities of shooting with a baby bump. In a tweet from April 2019, the actor revealed that her baby bump actually became visible during production. "When my bump popped on set mid-filming 'Paris, Wine, and Romance,'" she captioned two pregnant mirror selfies. "See if you can spot it in the film this May 4th at 9 PM on @hallmarkchannel."
When talking with IBT, Lilley shared that the crew had some workarounds for filming once she hit this pregnancy milestone. "We really started to make sure we were mainly shooting me straight on," she explained. "So, when I'm walking towards the camera, it's not like my bump was big enough that you could tell." In addition to this, you'll often see the actor with a bag or jacket carefully draped over her arm to conceal her stomach.
While you might still be able to spot Lilley's baby bump in "Paris, Wine & Romance," as some IMDb users have mentioned, we think of any pregnancy peeks as a fun easter egg for avid Hallmark watchers.